The European Commission is pursuing major initiatives in artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. The goal of the latter is to improve awareness and response to the growing cybersecurity threats, while the goal of former is to ensure Europe’s competitiveness in the development and use of AI. However, integrating the initiatives will strengthen both. AI provides attackers new cybersecurity vulnerabilities to exploit and new methods to automate cyberattacks. Conversely, AI is a powerful tool for automating cyber defenses, discovering unknown vulnerabilities, and augmenting the shortage of human workers available to address cybersecurity challenges. That is why AI should play a key role in the EU’s cybersecurity strategy, and why cybersecurity should be a major part of its AI strategy.

Join the Center for Data Innovation and a panel of experts for a conversation about how AI can help Europe secure its systems, and the steps Europe should take to build more secure AI.

Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent and increasingly costly. This column discusses some of the challenges involved in measuring the economic damage caused by these attacks, including a lack of agreement on how to assess damage, an asymmetrical distribution where a few large-scale incidents account for most costs, and externality effects. A measurement framework, estimation strategy, and reliable data will all be needed for successful policy evaluation.

Cybersecurity is becoming a vital concern for the functioning of a modern economy. This column argues that the threat of cyber attacks should be tackled economy-wide, with economic policies aimed at overcoming the externalities and information asymmetries that lead to suboptimal protection choices on the part of private agents. There is an urgent need for an improved understanding of microeconomic mechanisms in the cybersecurity market, and for reliable data upon which policy design can be based.